30 years after his disappeance, German hiker's body found in Swiss Alps

Police in south-western Switzerland say they have found in an Alpine glacier the remains of a German hiker who went missing almost exactly three decades ago.

The regional Valais police department said today the remains of the unidentified man were found after two hikers last week happened upon a hand and a pair of shoes sticking out of the Hohlaub glacier.

Lab tests identified the deceased man, who was about 44 when he went missing on Aug. 11, 1987. Valais police spokesman Markus Rieder said the victim's family has been informed.

Swiss authorities are intermittently finding the bodies of adventurers who have gone missing in Alpine ice and snow.

Rieder said authorities believe global warming has increasingly caused glaciers to retreat, raising the likelihood of finding more such human remains.